


life goes on (with you by my side)

by fauxkith



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Chess, First Kiss, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, chenle is there for like a second, renjun cannot put up with nomin, the stairs are playing matchmakers, wrote this while thinking about jeno's eye-smile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28381269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauxkith/pseuds/fauxkith
Summary: Despite being deemed as ‘the rivals’ by the entirety of Hogwarts, Jaemin and Jeno’s relationship has changed a lot in the past 6 years and Jaemin doesn’t know where exactly they are standing now.Luckily for Jaemin, the moving stairs and a magic mistletoe will help him figure it out and erase any doubts.orJaemin and Jeno bicker over who's better at chess and get stuck under a magic mistletoe.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 117





	life goes on (with you by my side)

**Author's Note:**

> originally my first work on ao3 was supposed to be a markhyuck fanfic but i'm saving that one for markhyuck week, so here is a little silly rivals!nomin fanfic. i'm a bit late since i wanted to post this before christmas but uni and work got the better of me. still i hope you can enjoy this - a sweet mistletoe story is timeless, don't you think ;)
> 
> this is inspired by a hermione fanfic i read years ago, i don’t remember the name but it included a magic mistletoe and it was so much fun to read, so i wanted to write something light-hearted like that.
> 
> english is not my first language and this is unbeta-ed (the tenses are all over the place lol), so please be kind and enjoy <3  
> 

6 years and counting, but Na Jaemin still can’t quite believe his eyes when he looks up and instead of seeing a plain ceiling, he’s met with the sight of the winter night - he can see the falling snow that never reaches the ground and almost smell the crisp winter air and the scent of the pine trees of the Forbidden Forest. It’s his last year at Hogwarts and Jaemin still can’t process the fact that he will be leaving this wondrous place forever in less than 7 months. A place he has grown to call home. 

Jaemin has never been particularly good at letting things go and he bitterly thinks how much time it will take him to get used to not being at Hogwarts. How much time it would take him to get used to the deafening silence of a room he doesn’t share with 3 other boys. How much time it would take him to get used to not hearing Renjun’s daily complaints about how badly he had messed up his essays, only to get full marks later. How much time it would take him to realise that no one will come to him at 4 a.m., begging him to make them some tea because they can't sleep the way Jisung does. 

How much time it would take him to stop missing even the most infuriating things about Hogwarts - the awful pudding they serve at dinner on thursdays, the annoying Herbology lessons after which he smells like mud and questionable plants, the paintings that never stop running their mouths and the ever-moving stairs that seem to always make him cross paths with one particular Hufflepuff boy who unlike Jaemin _excels_ at Herbology and has the most _ridiculous_ eye-smile Jaemin has ever seen. 

The whole 'rivalry thing' between him and Lee Jeno is weird - mostly because Jaemin isn't actually a competitive person. When he told Renjun that, the older laughed at his face for 5 minutes _straight_. 

'You? Not competitive? Then please enlighten me why you're known by the entire school for your 'rivalry thing' with Jeno?' 

To be honest, Jaemin doesn't know either. It has always been like that between the two of them and Jaemin almost doesn't remember when it all started. _Almost._

* * *

_It all began with chess._

Jaemin had been playing chess with his father every evening after dinner ever since he could remember and by the time he turned 10, he knew the game better than his older sister and could occasionally check his father, so he prided himself on his skills. During his first year at Hogwarts the Wizard's Chess Club organised a pre-Christmas chess tournament to recruit some new students, so naturally Jaemin signed up, even though he had never played wizard’s chess in his life before. Jaemin wasn’t completely wrong when he thought wizard's chess couldn’t be _that_ different from muggle chess - yes, the rules were the same but Jaemin failed to consider how overwhelming the whole experience can be for an 11-year-old, still getting used to the magical world surrounding him. 

Jaemin felt pretty confident during the first matches, thanks to his more than average skills. The next matches were harder to win but he somehow scraped by and by some miracle, Jaemin reached the final. By that point, he was barely holding himself together - his head was spinning from watching chess pieces move around the board and attack each other. If he had to be honest, played that way, the whole game seemed sort of barbaric. 

Tired and with his head in his hands, Jaemin waited for his final opponent.

_Enter Lee Jeno._

Lee Jeno sat in front of him, offered his hand and smiled brightly at Jaemin. Until this moment, Jaemin hadn’t seen anyone smile the way Lee Jeno smiled - with his whole face, eyes crinkling until they turn into crescent moons, mouth curving upwards. The sight threw Jaemin off his game and considering he wasn't in his best shape either way, it was an easy win for Lee Jeno. Jaemin blamed his evil fortune entirely on Jeno’s _ridiculous eye-smile._

Jaemin had never been competitive - had always settled for having fun rather than putting too much effort into something that won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But after losing the chess match against Jeno in such a silly way and without putting up a fight, his pride had been hurt and he desperately wanted to prove himself.

In second year, no matter how tired he was or how much homework he had, Jaemin played chess every single day after classes. When the Wizard's Chess Club announced a new tournament, Jaemin annihilated all other players in less than a day by practically playing speed chess so he could secure himself a spot in the Wizard's Chess Club and play against Jeno again. 

At the first meeting of the club, they praised Jaemin for his exceptional skills at such a young age and said he could be the next champion of the club. Jaemin couldn’t help but beam - especially because he knew Jeno had been the star of the club last year. After the meeting was over, Jeno approached him, smiling at him from ear to ear. Jaemin felt a thrill upon seeing the mischievous glint in Jeno’s eyes. 

‘It's on, Na Jaemin.'

* * *

At first, Jaemin took their rivalry to heart. 

In third year, Jeno started teasing Jaemin for his lacking broom flying skills and by trying to prove him wrong during Flight class, Jaemin got himself stuck near the Astronomy Tower and stayed there until a teacher came to rescue him. Meanwhile Jeno laid on the ground rolling in laughter. Later in the year, when Jeno tried for the Quidditch Team, Jaemin was smart enough not to follow and embarrass himself even more. 

In fourth year, Jeno accidentally (or not, he may never know) came up with a nickname for Jaemin while they were bickering over the answers to their Arithmancy homework. 

‘Nana’ he turned to Jaemin, a playful tone in his voice, ‘you’re so glaringly wrong and you _know_ it.’ 

‘Nana.’ Jaemin repeated, eyebrows going into his hairline as Renjun, sitting next to him, echoed ‘Nana?’. Jeno simply nodded, a tiny smile dancing on his lips, and went back to his homework. Renjunk kicked Jaemin under the table, wanting an explanation or an elaboration, but Jaemin just kicked him back twice as hard, enough for Renjun to yelp. Renjun smirked. 

Jaemin couldn’t shut Jeno up for the rest of the year - Nana this, Nana that, your answer here is wrong, Nana, until the nickname had stuck and even his close friends started calling him that. 

Later that year, things changed as Park Jisung, a Ravenclaw two years below them, came into the picture. Due to unfortunate circumstances (Jeno and Jaemin witnessing him getting bullied) they took Jisung under their wing and introduced him to their friend group (‘Jeno and I are not part of the same friend group, we just have mutual friends’, Jaemin liked to insist, even though no one paid attention to his remarks). Soon they all started hanging out together on a daily basis and Jaemin realised talking to Jeno is fun even when they were not bickering over chess or homework. 

In fifth year Jaemin and Jeno had their first real fight. Jaemin had gone a bit far with his taunts about Jeno’s mishaps in Potions class and before he could realise how badly he had messed up, Jeno had yelled at him and slammed the dungeon door in his face. Jaemin felt like sleepwalking for the rest of the day as his friends kept sending him worried glances. At midnight, Jaemin went to the Hufflepuff dormitory and left an apology letter along with a box of Jeno’s favourite Honeydukes chocolates. The next day, without either of them saying anything, Jeno helped Jaemin repot his plant in Herbology and the younger breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t talk about it but later, Jaemin found out Jeno’s parents gave him a hard time over his Potions marks, something along the lines that he didn’t work hard enough and that he was jeopardizing his future career as an Auror. _Dragonshit_ , Jaemin thought, but he still made sure to subtly help Jeno when they were preparing potions, even if he denied it when Renjun asked him about it. 

In sixth year, just before Christmas break, when they were on their way back from a trip to Hogsmeade, Jaemin started a snow fight. Donghyuck, Renjun and Jisung threw a few snowballs at each other and gave up soon after because of the biting cold but Jaemin kept chasing Jeno around the field. When he finally got his hands on the taller boy and was ready to push him into a heap of fresh snow, Jaemin tripped over his feet and fell instead, dragging Jeno with him. Jeno landed on top of Jaemin, the snow crunching under their weight. For a moment, Jeno’s long eyelashes, flushed cheeks and chapped lips were all Jaemin could see. Flushed and a little bit breathless, Jaemin hastily pushed Jeno off him and Jeno laughed until his lungs ached, laying on the snow beside Jaemin. No one was surprised when they were both sick for a whole week afterwards. 

Jaemin was surprised that Renjun actually had some consideration for him and waited to corner Jaemin only after he got better.

‘Did you two snog in the snow?’ He asked exasperated, crossing his arms. (‘Count on Renjun to not have any filter or subtlety’ Donghyuck had said once and how right he had been)

‘What the fuck, Injun, of course not!’ Jaemin flushed from head to toe and bit his tongue. ‘Why would I even consider kissing that insufferable brat?’ 

Renjun scoffed and rolled his eyes. ‘You two are _so_ disgusting, stop fake bickering and just date already.’ Jaemin wanted to disappear or even better - shove Renjun off the Astronomy Tower.

'Sod off and go snog with Donghyuck or something.’ Jaemin pushed Renjun to the side as the older boy stuck his tongue out.

‘Donghyuck is my friend, you idiot! You’re the one who needs snogging. From Jeno.’ Jaemin pretended he didn’t hear him but the blush covering his cheeks didn’t go away for a while.

* * *

In stark contrast to the festive mood of everyone else around him, Jaemin has been sulking for the past few days which is evident from the downward curve of his mouth, his tired eyes and messy pink hair. His mind is occupied by intrusive thoughts about the future and his life after Hogwarts and this time, he can’t shake them off as easily as he usually does. His friends know something is off but they don’t really know how to approach Jaemin and before they all know it, winter break has arrived. Jaemin is staying at Hogwarts (like every year), while Donghyuck and Renjun are going skiing together, Jisung is off to see his grandparents who live in South Korea and Jeno is attending his cousin Doyoung's winter wedding

Jaemin has always been particularly good at hiding his real emotions behind loud laughter, wide smiles and teasing comments but he can’t quite twist his face to look cheerful when he’s saying goodbye to his friends. Jisung looks lost - like he doesn’t know whether he should say something reassuring to Jaemin or not comment on it at all. At last, he decides on giving him a smile that should be comforting, but looks more like a grimace. 

On the other hand, Donghyuck slaps Jaemin on the shoulder and tells him for the 100th time not to open his present before Christmas Eve. 

‘I jinxed it to blow up in your face if you open it before 12 a.m., so do _not_ open unless you want to say bye to your pretty face.’ He wriggles his finger in front of Jaemin’s face and Jaemin can’t help but smile at that, sincerely this time.

Donghyuck has always been good at cheering them all up during times of distress by saying things that are just the right amount of ridiculous and Jaemin doesn't know if Hyuck does it consciously or if he just has a knack for these things. 

Renjun is quiet and weirdly somber when he wishes Jaemin nice holidays and tells him to take care. Jaemin avoids meeting his gaze because he doesn’t know exactly how much his eyes betray. Instead, he looks at Jeno, trying to think of a teasing comment to make, to bring in some normalcy in their otherwise painfully awkward conversation but stops himself when he sees the look on the taller boy’s face.

'Have a nice Christmas, Nana.' Jeno tries to say with a playful tilt to his voice but his tone doesn’t match the almost apologetic look on his face. Jaemin, not knowing what to make of Jeno’s expression and wanting for this exchange to end as quickly as possible, hurriedly wishes them all happy holidays one more time and with that they are gone.

Renjun throws him one last worried look over his shoulder and Jaemin smiles reassuringly and waves at him. 

The next hours Jaemin spends in the Great Hall, staring pathetically at a chess board and his head starts hurting from the emotional turmoil he’s going through. On top of his misplaced nostalgia (he still has 6 months left here, Merlin’s pants!) he’s kind of sorry for being so awkward and weird when sending off his friends but he also wishes he could have just made them all stay with him at Hogwarts, so they can spend one last winter break together, drinking butterbeer and laughing late into the night until they can’t keep their eyes open anymore. It’s not that Jaemin isn’t used to being alone - after all he had always preferred to spend his winter breaks at Hogwarts instead of going home even if it had meant being alone on Christmas. However, this year is different - it’s his last year at Hogwarts and Jaemin can’t shake off the feeling that he’s not living it to the fullest. 

What confuses Jaemin even more is Jeno’s expression before he left. What does Jeno have to apologise for? Despite still being called ‘the rivals’ by their fellow housemates, Jaemin and Jeno’s relationship has changed a lot in the past 6 years but Jaemin still doesn’t really know where exactly they are standing. Can he call Jeno his friend when they never stop bickering or should he call him something else entirely after what had _almost_ happened during that snow fight last year? Jeno is an unwelcome intruder in his thoughts and maybe Jaemin is a coward for not being able to admit this even to himself but he will miss the insufferable Lee Jeno and his more than ridiculous eye-smile. He will miss his stupid face and unfunny jokes and the way he calls Jaemin ‘Nana’ not quite like everyone else does. Jaemin has never been good at letting things go and he doesn’t know how he will let go of Jeno and his teasing comments and his hand between Jaemin’s shoulder blades that is there to tell Jaemin that he doesn’t actually mean them. That Jeno is only teasing, the way he always is because that’s the way they are, the way they have always been. 

With a slap to his face that earns him some weird glances from the few people left in the Great Hall, Jaemin tries to stop this particular train of thought whose only passenger is Lee Jeno. Jaemin doesn’t really have the emotional capacity to deal with his relationship with Jeno on top of everything else he has going on for him. 

Lonesome and tired, Jaemin makes his way out of the Great Hall. He passes the painting that always makes fun of his eyes bags after he had pulled an exhausting all-nighter at the library, avoids the loose step on the stairs near the Transfiguration classroom, waters his favourite plant, sitting on the sill of a hidden window, with a quick ‘Aguamenti’ spell and goes up, up, up the stairs, on his way to the highest point of the castle, where the stinging air will hopefully help him clear his mind. 

He doesn’t go far - it seems the stairs have other plans. Halfway through his ascend, they decide to swerve left and Jaemin, with his mind somewhere else, almost falls. Miraculously, someone is there to catch him and when Jaemin looks up, it turns out that someone is Jeno. The same Jeno who is supposed to be on his way to a winter wedding.

‘I- Jeno?’ he splutters as Jeno gets them both on the landing safely before the stairs decide to make another turn and go back to where Jaemin was headed to initially. _Just his luck._

‘What are you doing here, Jeno? I thought you left for the wedding.’ Jaemin asks as he finally catches his breath. Jeno is in front of him, dressed in muggle clothes that look soft and well-worn. Definitely not the clothes he left in. 

Jeno smiles sheepishly, eyes turning into half-moons, and scratches the back of his neck. Jaemin has noticed Jeno does this when he’s feeling uneasy but mostly when he's lying. ‘The bride fell sick?’ He makes it sound like a question and Jaemin almost laughs - even though Jaemin isn’t one to speak since he isn’t good at lying either, Jeno is certainly the worst liar Jaemin has ever seen. At least Jaemin can make his lies at least a little bit plausible. _Another thing I’m better at than Jeno_ , he thinks smugly and is about to tease Jeno for that when he suddenly remembers why he’s here in the first place and his smile drops. 

‘Sorry to hear that. I will be on my way now.’ Jaemin avoids meeting Jeno’s eyes. ’Oh and thank you for saving me from falling.’ It’s his turn to smile sheepishly as he tries to move around Jeno. Except he can’t - can’t move his feet even an inch. It’s like an invisible force is keeping him tied to the ground. Jaemin furrows his eyebrows as he starts to frantically look down and around himself, trying to see what’s keeping him there. He can’t see anything and he’s about to voice his confusion as realisation dawns on him. _Oh._

When he looks at Jeno, the boy is already laughing. Jaemin is not amused at all.

’Look up.’ Jaemin knows exactly what he will see hanging in the air but his heart drops in his stomach anyways. 

‘Stupid bloody Gryffindors, they must have put this here!’ Jaemin bellows and he would be kicking the air if he could move his legs. Jeno only laughs harder and Jaemin sends him a death glare. 

Frustrated and maybe a bit flustered, Jaemin whips out his wand and starts casting different spells to free himself from the stupid sticking charm. The students that did this must have been listening closely during their Charms class because Jaemin cannot even budge and none of the spells he uses work.

‘Won’t you help? You’re also stuck here with me.’ Jaemin looks at Jeno expectantly - the other boy seems too laid-back considering their predicament. 

'What if I don't want to?' Jeno leans back against the railing and crosses his arms. Jaemin is tempted to push him. ‘You know, we can just kiss and get it over with it.’ Jaemin knows he probably looks really stupid with his mouth agape like a fish but he really can’t believe his ears. 

‘Yeah, that’s not happening, Jeno.’ Jaemin scoffs and it’s his turn to cross his arms, pocketing his wand.

‘And why not, Nana? It’s the easiest way to free ourselves.’ They are standing close to each other as the spell doesn’t allow them to distance themselves and Jaemin is a bit scared to look at Jeno from so up close. For a moment he considers Jeno’s preposition - the boy has a point even if Jaemin doesn’t want to admit it and wants even less to execute the plan. At the end, he decides he won’t lose anything if he tries a toned-down version of Jeno’s idea. 

Relying heavily on the element of surprise and going for it like ripping off a bandage - the faster he does it, the less it would hurt - Jaemin tilts his head up and to the side and aims for Jeno’s cheek. Merlin, Jeno must have godly reflexes from playing on the Quidditch team because he realises Jaemin’s intention early on, before Jaemin even has a chance to put his lips anywhere near Jeno’s face, and takes Jaemin’s face in his hands, turning it a bit so they are facing each other fully. Jeno smells faintly of tangerines and his warm hands are gently cradling Jaemin's jaw. 

‘I think the mistletoe will require more than a kiss on the cheek.’ Jeno says and Jaemin’s heart is beating so loud he can’t even hear the sounds, he just traces the words on Jeno’s lips.

‘Can I kiss you, Jaemin?’

Shakily exhaling, Jaemin closes his eyes and nods. He can feel the careful descent of Jeno’s lips through the warmth Jeno emits. Jeno doesn’t kiss the way he teases Jaemin - confidently and insistently. He falters a bit and Jaemin can feel the way he trembles from where their lips touch. Jaemin must be a little bit out of his mind or just very lonely and upset because he huffs at Jeno’s hesitation and winds his arms around his neck, bringing him closer. Kissing Jeno is an out-of-body experience - Jaemin feels like floating in mid air and his only connection to the physical world are Jeno’s soft lips and his long fingers running along the knobs of his spine, up, up, up, tangling in Jaemin’s pink hair and then again down, down, down until they settle on the small of his back. Jaemin sighs and digs his fingers in the collar of Jeno's shirt.

When they part, the mistletoe above them is gone and Jaemin takes a few steps back. Immediately, he feels embarrassment creeping up his neck and face and panic settling in his stomach. He cannot explain what came over him and made him kiss Jeno like that but he knows it will change everything and possibly ruin what little time he has left at Hogwarts. But before he can say sorry or express his regret, Jeno takes his hands, thumbs brushing over Jaemin's knuckles.

‘Listen, Nana.’ Jeno takes a deep breath and licks his lips and Jaemin hates himself for tracking the movement. ‘I came back for you because you looked so miserable and I just couldn’t leave you here all alone.’ Another deep breath. Jaemin knows what's coming next before the words leave Jeno's mouth.

‘I like you so, so much, Nana, and I’m telling you this because I think you feel the same way for me. No, no, wait.’ Jeno puts a finger to Jaemin’s lips before he can say something stupid. 

'Don’t rush this. Don’t panic. Don’t say something you will regret later.’ Jaemin wonders when Jeno has noticed Jaemin's tendency to cut the flower off the stem before giving it a chance to bloom. Jaemin is scared to find out how well Jeno knows him. ‘If you want to talk about this, about us, you know where to find me. Take your time, we have the whole break.’ Jeno is smiling hopefully at him and Jaemin’s heart melts.

Then Jeno presses a kiss to the top of Jaemin’s head. ‘I also have tangerines if that will sway you.’ Jaemin can’t fight off his stupid smile as he watches Jeno makes his way down the stairs.

* * *

Later that evening, after spending a good couple of hours in the Astronomy Tower, Jaemin goes to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Jeno really has tangerines as well as more sweet, sweet kisses for Jaemin. They talk about the past, the future and play chess until dawn and for the first time, Jaemin doesn’t care at all if he wins or loses as long as he can stare at Jeno’s lovely face while the older boy is thinking of his next move. 

* * *

It’s the first day of classes after the winter break - the Great Hall is packed and everyone is laughing loudly as break stories are being told. They are having breakfast as Donghyuck recalls how Renjun almost broke his neck because he insisted he knew how to ski the muggle way when he obviously didn’t. Jisung is listening intently, chin propped on his palms, Renjun is red in the face and denies it all, and Jaemin misses half of the story because he can’t stop looking at the boy sitting next to him, even if he’s slightly disgusted by the way Jeno shoves food into his mouth. At some point during Hyuck’s story, Jeno turns to Jaemin and raises an eyebrow.

‘What are you looking at, Na?’ Despite his tone, Jeno’s cheeks are slightly flushed and Jaemin wants to see more. Can you really blame him? Flustered Jeno is a sight to behold.

‘Nothing,’ he sing-songs, ‘you just have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.’

Everyone around them groans and Renjun even fakes a retching sound as Jeno whines, hiding his face in his hands. 

Jaemin is intent on keeping the promise he made to Jeno that night in the Hufflepuff Common Room - to enjoy what time he has left at Hogwarts and worry about the future later. So he turns to Jisung and steals the funny hat his grandmother knitted for him and puts it on Chenle, a Slytherin boy also in fifth year. Judging by the way Jisung blushes to the roots of his hair, someone might have a crush. 

Pleased with himself and his matchmaking skills, Jaemin turns to Jeno and steals a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> if you reached thе end, you are a champ and i love you <3 thank you for reading, comments mean the world to me so i will be glad to hear what you thought about this story!


End file.
